Sunday, December 28, 2014

Warm up on a cold winter day with a hot bowl of homemade wedding soup. This recipe has been in our family for generations. There are many variations of wedding soup, but I like this one the best because this recipe is right from my grandmother’s kitchen.

This Italian style wedding soup recipe has been passed down from my grandmother to my mother and now to Fran.

This soup is a great starter for any meal. Wedding soup is a favorite in our house, especially around the Holidays.

Some variations to this recipe are, add carrots, or some people add Orzo, or you could use ground pork for your meatballs. So, you can make this delicious soup to your taste.

Ingredients for Italian Wedding Soup:

6 chicken breast (you can use boneless)

1 whole onion

1 stock of celery (Cut into small Pieces)

3 stocks of endive or escarole (clean, boil, squeeze all of the water out, cut into small pieces)

Sunday, December 14, 2014

We love pasta and seafood so what a great combination this makes for a quick
and easy dinner.

We make this with crab meat but there are so many other options. This dish
is great with shrimp, lobster, clams, or scallops. If you in the mood for
seafood this is so easy to make, and you could use a combination of your favorite seafood.

You can have this ready and on your dinner table in 30 minutes or less, and it’s
so delicious. To top it off I like to add some fresh ground black pepper and Romano
cheese.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

If you are a fan of a good old fashioned hot dog with chili, then this recipe is just what you need. I grew up in a small Western Pennsylvania town, where hot dogs are a staple.

There were several hot dog shops around town, each specializing in their own chili sauce. We moved away from our hometown, and it turns out that hot dogs with chili is one of the foods we miss the most. Now we have a recipe to make our own that reminds us of home.

There are so many garnishes for hot dogs, but I like mine with mustard, onion and chili. Sometimes I add a nice thin slice of dill pickle on top, and it's oh so good.

Ingredients:

1 Pound of ground beef

1 small onion chopped very
fine

1/4 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

3/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp sage

1/2 tsp oregano

Sprinkle in some garlic
powder and salt (just a little)

Instructions:

In a medium sauce pan brown
all of the ingredients

Add 1 cup of water

Add 2 tablespoons of cracker
meal

Cook for 1 hour

Give it a try and enjoy a nice chili dog. It's a simple recipe and you could even make it ahead and freeze it for later. Feel free to leave me a comment and rate this recipe.

Friday, December 5, 2014

What's best on your favorite pasta? Of course your favorite tomato
sauce, we have a simple tomato sauce recipe three generations deep.

Growing
up in our house, every Sunday was pasta day. My mother would start the
sauce in the morning and it would simmer for hours, filling the house
with such a magnificent aroma.

My dad would go to church, and on
his way home he would stop at the local bakery and pick up 2 loafs of
fresh Italian bread. We would cut the first loaf, take a slice and dip
it into the sauce that has been simmering all morning.

To this day
when we make our sauce it fills the house with that same magnificent
aroma, which brings back fond memories of my childhood.

Pictured
here is our Sunday pot of sauce and meatballs simmering on the stove. After the sauce has cooked for a while it will begin to thicken. I still like to take some fresh Italian bread, and cover it
with the sauce, just like when I was a kid. It is Oh!!! So good.

Let's start with the Ingredients for the Meatballs:

1 lb.of ground beef

2 largeeggs

1/4 cupof grated Romano cheese

1 cupof seasoned breadcrumbs

1 cloveof garlic, minced (you can add more garlic if you like)

A few sprigsfresh of parsley,
and basil, chopped real fine

If you're using dry use a 1/2 tsp. of each

Light olive oil: enough to cover the bottom of the pan

Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Now the Ingredients for the Tomato Sauce:

2 - 28 oz. cansof crushed
tomatoes

2 - 6 oz. cansof tomato paste

2 - 28 oz cansof water

A few sprigs of parsley, and basil chopped real fine

If you're using dry use a 1 tsp. of each or season to your
taste

Now for the Instructions:

Cover the bottom of a
12" fry pan with olive oil and turn on medium heat. Add some minced
garlic and parsley.

Mix all ingredients together,
and form your meatballs, add them in the fry pan. Cook until the outside
of the meatballs are golden brown. Turning them often.

While the meatballs are frying
prepare your sauce

Add tomatoes, tomato paste,
water, and seasonings in a 8 quart pot, stir all ingredients together and
turn on medium heat. When the meatballs are cooked, place them in sauce,
along with the grease from the fry pan

Bring sauce to a boil,
stirring frequently, so the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Let the sauce cook 2 to 3
hours on medium heat, stirring frequently, again we don't want the sauce to stick to the bottom of the pot.

As sauce thickens turn to a
simmer for 30 more minutes. Keep stirring.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 3 to 4 hours or longer

Serves: 1 lb. of pasta, 4 to 6 people with some left over to freeze

This is not a quick recipe, this sauce takes time as it cooks to perfection.

Now meatballs are a staple when it come to tomato sauce and pasta day.
Some other options to add to your sauce is Italian sausage, or a nice chuck roast. Actually you can make all of them. Cook your sausage and brown the chuck roast the same as you would the meatballs.

They all add a unique flavor to the sauce, and the meat is so tender and delicious when cooked in the sauce all day.

My mother would always make meatballs and a chuck roast. Oh how I remember that wonderful smell filling the whole house.

Monday, December 1, 2014

This recipe is one of our all-time favorites, it's so popular and such a big hit at picnics, parties, and Holiday gatherings. These are one of the best veggie snacks you'll ever have and are so simple to make.

Even I can do it, there are so many options for all of your favorite fresh veggies, you can top this with whatever you desire or whatever you're in the mood for.

My daughter and wife have been making these for years for all of our family events, and no matter where we take them, everybody gives this treat the thumbs up.

Pictured here are the veggie bars my daughter made for the 4th of July, with broccoli, cauliflower, red and yellow peppers. Aren't they just so colorful?

The options for these easy veggie bars are endless, you can add as little or as much fresh veggies as your heart desires. I'm not so sure about the cream cheese mixture, but for sure the fresh veggies are very healthy.

Get your gardens ready and be sure to plant plenty of hot and sweet banana peppers. If you don’t plant a garden you can buy a plentifu...

Kitchen Tools

Easy Product Display

My articles on JAQUO

Follow by Email

Disclosure

Sam’s Place is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com